Topanga Earth Day April 18, 2009

10th Annual Topanga Earth Day Festival
Topanga, Calif., March 30 – The 10th annual Topanga Earth Day Festival tradition
of unity through ecological awareness and global respect continues on Saturday,
April 18, through Sunday, April 19, from 10 a.m. to sunset. Set in Topanga Canyon,
Los Angeles’ original conscious-living community, the festival will give all people the
unique opportunity to learn about a variety of sustainable and holistic-living
solutions through guest speaker and workshop presentations, a healing village and
ecological vendors “living by example.”

The serene, oak tree covered hills of Topanga Canyon will be awoken on Saturday
when volunteers take part in the annual Topanga creek and berm clean-up, led by
local turtle researcher and scientist Rosi Dagit of Resource Conservation District of
the Santa Monica Mountains. Festival-goers may hitch a ride up to the Topanga
Community House Fair Grounds from lower areas of Topanga Canyon via
biodiesel-powered shuttles by Bio Beetle. Once there, they can experience a variety
of demonstrations, speakers and vendors such as bike pedal-powered smoothies,
experts on green technology, waste diversion, clean energy, environmental
organizations, permaculture and 21st century agriculture.

In the spirit of the festival’s ideals and purpose, an eclectic roster of international,
national and local Los Angeles-area bands will perform on two stages during the
weekend-long festival. Luis Conte’ & Afro Cuban Latin Jazz, Leon Mobley & Da
Lion, Marc Ford sitting in with Big Organ Trio, Tea Leaf Green, Lili Haydn, and
Steve Molitz (Particle and Phil & Friends) and Josh Clark (Tea Leaf Green) of
Counter Clarkwise are a sampling of the notable bands scheduled to play. World
music, blues, afro-Cuban, reggae, folk, funk, rock and more are among the
expansive musical genres represented. Master of ceremonies Rainbeau Mars will
lead the celebration on both days. More information on additional featured bands is
included at the end of this press release.

At the “City of Dreams,” attendees can learn from healers, yogis and holistic
specialists through hour-long workshops or simply visit the healing village for free
services at the event. Highlighted topics and practices include: massage therapy,
reflexology, acupuncture, Oriental medical perspectives, Tibetan herbal remedies,
yoga, tai chi, reiki and more. Each day awakens with a yoga class appropriate for all
skill levels. On Saturday, internationally celebrated yogi Sean Corne will teach “Off
the Mat” yoga. On Sunday, the spiritual love of Govindas and Radha, a group of
Malibu-based bhakti yogis and kirtan singers, will lead participants in traditional
yogic practices of India.

New to the festival this year are the Ecological Fine Art Gallery and 3D Stage. The
three D’s stand for Drum, Didge & Dance! Drum, didgeridoo, and dance enthusiasts
are encouraged to bring their own instruments and play in the workshops, during
which masters from around the world will host an amazing journey through sound.
At the same time, art aficionados can explore eco-inspired fine art made from
recycled materials, including sculpture, collage, photography, painting and film.
Curated by L A Marler, the gallery showcases well-known local artists: Dianna
Cohen, “Plastic Bag Art,” Linda Vallego, “Paintings, Sculpture and Collages,” Louise
Marler, “Gicleé Prints,” Shari Elf, “Found Object Collages,” and a special Yoko Ono
“Wish Tree” installation made possible through Yoko Ono’s artpeace concept
contribution.

The Green Station LA has created a kids-only venue to incorporate future
generations into the eco-spectrum with “Ecos World,” a blend of theater, music,
education and games centered on the green cause. The character Ecos, along with
Earthman Dan and Solar Cindy, will explore sustainability issues such as recycling,
reusing, and the basics of solar energy and water conservation through theater.
Additional activities, workshops and entertainment for children of all ages will be
provided.

Since 2000, the festival’s core purpose has been to give back to local and global
communities. Two-thirds of festival proceeds are donated to environmental
awareness, preservation and survival programs for both local and international
environmental organizations. This year’s local recipients are the California Wildlife
Center (Piuma Canyon, Malibu) and Resource Conservation District of the Santa
Monica Mountains, Turtle Project; the beneficiary international organizations are
Earth Justice and Sea Sheppard Conservation Society.

In collaboration with WeEarth, the management has committed to ensuring that
Topanga Earth Day remains a 90 percent waste-free event. All vendors use cups,
utensils, garbage bags, napkins and plates that are biodegradable. In 2008, a crew
of volunteers mulched all biodegradable materials, composting on site. During last
year’s festival, which attracted over 5,000 people, 93 percent of waste was diverted,
with only 7 percent going to the landfill. Recyclables are properly recycled with
Universal Waste, LA County.

The 2009 Topanga Earth Day Festival is produced by the Topanga Earth Day
Organizing Committee and Rock and Stone/InternationalHumanitiesCenter, a
501C-3 not-for-profit organization, and associate producers: We Earth, The Green
Station LA.

For all event details, visit: www.topangaearthday.org. Patrons are asked to make a
$10 (suggested) donation per day of attendance. The festival takes place at
Topanga Community House Fair Grounds, 1440 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd,
Topanga, California, 90290.

Featured international and national performers include: Luis Conte’ & Afro
Cuban Latin Jazz (performed with Ray Charles, Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood);
Leon Mobley & Da Lion (toured with Ben Harper); Maetar with James Gadson, who
played drums with Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye, Paul McCartney, Beck, D’Angello, to
name a few; Marc Ford sitting in with Big Organ Trio; Donna Delory (toured with
Madonna); The Honey Bunch; Robin Moxey; Tea Leaf Green; Lili Haydn; Mr.
Smolin.

Local Los Angeles-area bands/performers include: Big Organ Trio with special
guest Marc Ford (L.A.); Nate LaPointe Band (Eagle Rock); didgeridoo and multiinstrumentalist

Trevor Green (Huntington Beach); Luminaries (Venice); Mystic
Journey featuring Suzanne Teng (Topanga) to be accompanied by belly dancers
from Melanie Kareem Middle Eastern Dance SchoolKristi Bride and the Light
(Venice); Jon T Howard (Redondo Beach);Yeh Dede, “godesses of worldly song”
(Santa Monica); Maetar (Venice); Arlan Schierbaum (L.A.); Gaia Mama (Topanga);
Preeta & The PeaceMakers (Santa Monica); The Breath Deeplies; Robby Elfman &
Jazz Punks; Making Love To Life; Sun 7; Swamp Daddy; River Of Suns; Shari Elf;
TwoFish; Dana Wood & The Porch Girls. Master of Ceremonies: Rainbeau Mars

Official Website: http://www.topangaearthday.org/